Kearney, NE-based Phynd Technologies raises a $2 million seed round led by Invest Nebraska, a venture capital organization focused on increasing funding opportunities for technology companies based in Nebraska. Phynd has created a Provider Management Platform that centralizes physician contact information for a health network, storing it in the cloud and integrating it across all health IT solutions.

New York City-based Pixie Scientific unveils a high-tech diaper that monitors pediatric health and integrates data with an accompanying smartphone app. The diapers contain a color changing test strip capable of testing urine for kidney dysfunctions and urinary tract infections. Users snap a picture of the test strip with the accompanying smartphone app, which interprets the test results and stores information for long-term trending. The app stores historical data that can alert parents of other conditions that develop over time, such as dehydration.

Azumio, a two-year-old mobile health startup focused on creating consumer health apps, launches an all-in-one food and activity tracker to compliment its portfolio of heart rate monitors and fitness trackers. The app, called Argus, will compete with Moves, a similar smartphone-based activity tracker.

Christopher Assad, MD develops a prototype CPR app for Google Glass that walks laypeople through the process of performing CPR effectively following the beat of “Staying Alive,” which coincidentally sets a pace of 100 compressions per minute.

In Canada, Alberta Children’s Hospital deploys a robot to reduce injection pain and anxiety in children. The robot will greet a child with a high-five, collect toys from a tray, and ask questions like “Do you like movies?” Children who engaged with the robot while receiving a flu shot had less pain and distress.

Healthbox partners with BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee to launch a new health IT accelerator in Nashville. The first class will start in September at the Nashville Entrepreneur Center.

A new study released by Spyglass Consulting presents the opinions of more than 100 healthcare leaders involved with telehealth projects. The findings suggest that telehealth may be at the verge of broader adoption, driven equally by ACO interest and desire to curb readmission rates. Some other, less optimistic, findings:

50 percent of respondents questioned the clinical efficacy and anticipated ROI of their telehealth programs.

58 percent of respondents expressed concern about the lack of integration between telehealth solutions and existing clinical information systems.

The University of Texas at Austin partners with Jericho Systems to pilot a program that will explore advanced patient control of shared medical records by allowing patients to review how often their PHI is requested over the eHealth Exchange, who requested it, and to determine if their consent directives are being followed. The pilot stems from initiatives and goals published by the ONC’s workgroup for standards and interoperability.

Boston University files patent infringement lawsuits against several mobile device manufacturers over what it alleges is an illegal use of semiconductor technology that is used in many popular models including: iPhone, iPad, Kindle, Galaxy Tab 2, and Chromebook laptops.

Travis and Kyle both found themselves at the MedCity Converge conference this week and were able to link up for a bit. The conference showcased 24 health IT startups, of which Kyle’s company Pristine was one. Travis was able to try Google Glass before heading off to interview Mark Blatt, MD, MBA, worldwide medical director and health IT evangelist for Intel.

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Sponsor Updates

Imprivata launches a suite of proximity badges and fingerprint readers that integrate with EHRs to provide “No Click” access for clinicians.